Bleached Blade Works
by DoctorWhotaku
Summary: Kurosaki Ichigo unlocked his true powers in the Shattered Shaft, and went on to struggle and become a hero, with every fight nearly his last. What if, though, when Ichigo first awakened his powers, he had not met Yhwach, his Quincy Spirit? What if he had, instead, met a very different kind of Archer?
1. Chapter 1 - The Shattered Shaft

I own nothing, including this image. Bleach & Fate/stay belong to Tite Kubo and Type Moon respectively.

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24 hours. It had been 24 hours since Rukia had left, 24 hours since he had fought those Shinigami, 24 hours since he Byakuya Kuchiki had taken his powers, and left him to die. 24 hours ago, Urahara had found him, bleeding out in the rain, and gave him a choice. He could return to a normal life and forget everything that had happened. The easy path. Or, he could take the hard path. Risk death over and over again to regain his powers, so that he could throw himself back into battle to save Rukia and repay his debt to her. Recalling that encounter, he wondered he ended up here. Wearing boxing gloves and the "Headband of Justice", and having just been nearly killed by a little girl? Oh, right. He had chosen the hard path.

Urahara spread his fan."Well, Kurosaki-san," he said to the panting teen, "Congratulations on passing the first test. We're on a tight schedule, so why don't we go right on to the next test? Unless you're too tired?" he taunted. Ichigo scowled, and stood up with a fire in his eyes.

"After that ordeal? I can handle anything!" he shot back. Ichigo was unsettled by the sudden look of sorrow on Urahara's face.

"How about death?" Urahara replied. "Do it, Tessai." Ichigo whipped around in time to see Tessai sever his Soul Chain with a huge axe. Ichigo fell to his knees, his head ringing. "Ururu, open the pit!" Urahara shouted urgently. Below Ichigo, a huge pit opened, and he fell. Just before he hit the bottom, he blacked out. Urahara peered down. "Good luck, Ichigo." he murmured. As an afterthought, he added, "You're going to need it."

Down in the pit, Ichigo slumbered, unaware of was going on both above, and within his own head. In his inner world, two beings looked on in shock and anger.

"Damn you, Urahara." said one of the beings, a bleached white Ichigo. "You have no idea what you've done." The other being, a tall man with white, spiky hair and a long, red overcoat, scowled.

"His Shinigami powers haven't matured yet." he said. He turned to the other being. "Shiro. Can you give him his zanpakuto as it is now?" Shiro scowled.

"No.. If I were to give him his blade now, his ... other... side would be released with it. His blade is unique. It needs two opposite and equal powers to be introduced to be forged. Once that is done, I would need a spirit to whom to give the blade to, to be his zanpakuto spirit. His shinigami powers and other powers were never meant to be mixed, like they are in me." The being in red gave him a questioning look.

"Isn't Rukia's power enough for one of the two powers required for its forging?" Shiro shook his head. "Her powers are vital, but they're not enough by themselves. I need more like hers, and I still need an opposite power. Without that, he will always be severely limited. " The red figure thought for a second, then held out a hand. In it, formed a plain zanpakuto.

"What if you were to give him a basic set of powers through this?" he asked. Shiro took the blade, and considered it.

"This could work," he mused, "his Shikai would be... and his Bankai would be... huh, not too bad for a temporary blade." He looked the red figure in the eye. "There's one problem though. This blade won't last through a fight with a captain. You'll need an asauchi to imprint it on. The problem is that, we don't-" The figure in red stopped him.

"No. If we use an asauchi for this, he'll always be limited to this blade. I'll teach him my tracing techniques instead. That way, he can replace the blade if it breaks, in mid-battle if need be." Shiro thought it over, then frowned.

"He doesn't have magus circuits. Your tracing only works through them. How are you going to get around that?" The other being gave him a grim smile.

"I'll give him some, of course." Shiro's eyes widened. He tried to come up with an alternative, but he released they had no choice. Urahara had forced their hand. He looked the red figure in the eye.

"I hope you know what you're doing, because you're taking a huge gamble."

"It's our only shot at getting through this."

"I know, I know." Shaking his head, Shiro tightened his grip on the blade. It glowed black, and he dropped it. It disappeared before it hit the ground. "The blade has his temporary powers. You don't need me for this next part, so I'm out." He turned, and disappeared.

The figure in red smiled. Shiro always had to have the last word. The being closed his eyes. Focusing hard, he pulled Ichigo from his unconscious state into his mindscape. He opened his eyes, and there he stood, looking wary, and more than a little confused. He smiled at him, and said "Hello Ichigo. Welcome to your mind."

Ichigo woke up in an endless, red field. The sky was the color of dawn, and overhead, giant gears hung silently in the sky. The most striking feature though, was the swords. In every direction, as far as the eye could see, was swords. They had no end. They were beyond counting. He got up, and saw a tall figure in a red overcoat standing there with his arms crossed. The figure gave him a small smile, and said, "Hello Ichigo. Welcome to your mind."

"My mind?" asked Ichigo warily. "If this is my mind, then who are you? What are you doing here."

"Me?" said the being,"I'm an avatar of your power." Ichigo suddenly remembered his battle with Renji. Specifically his sword. What was that he had said? Oh, yeah. " Do you even know the name of your sword?!" he had taunted.

"The name of my sword, huh", he muttered. The figure smiled, and shook his head.

"No Ichigo. Your sword is not ready yet. You are strong, but your sword still needs to mature before you can use it's true power." Ichigo was confused.

"So if you're not my sword, then who are you? What powers do I have anyway?" The being hesitated for a moment, then relented.

"Your shinigami powers come from your father, Ichigo. I am one of the powers you inherited from your mother. You and I are something similar to Quincies. Your mother was the next stage of a Quincy Ichigo. She was a magus."

"A Magus?" said Ichigo incredulously. "And Goat Face was a shinigami?!" The figure held up his hand.

"Ichigo. If you want to know the full story, you will have to ask your father. As for my origin, I was placed in you by your mother. When you were born, your mother sensed something within you. A cursed presence. A parasite who had fed off the life forces of the Quincies for a thousand years." he scowled.

"What was it?" asked Ichigo.

"Within you was a shard of the soul of the Quincy king, Yhwach. Your Mother could not stand that that monster was feeding off of you, but she also knew that it was the base of your powers. Desperate to save her son, she used an experimental summoning circle, and brought me across the dimensions. She bonded me to your soul. I burned out the shard of Yhwach's soul, and became the center of your Quincy powers. I am the one who will train you to use them, and teach you the basics of thaumaturgy. My name is Emiya Shirou, but in my world, I was known as Archer."


	2. Chapter 2 - Circuits

"My name is Emiya Shirou, but on my world, I am known as Archer."

"Archer, what's the difference between magecraft and my powers as a Quincy?" asked Ichigo.

"There's something you need to be a magus, Ichigo. Every magus has something called magus circuits within them. The best description I can give is that they are like an artificial nervous system through which you channel your power. Yours are dormant." Ichigo looked downcast. "Don't worry though, kid. I can activate your magus circuits. I have to warn you, though, it will be one of the most painful things you will ever go through. You could even die. On the other hand, having these will give you absolute control over your powers, and give you the ability to pick up new ones." Ichigo thought about this, then grinned at him.

"Well? What are we waiting for, then? Let's do this!" he replied. Archer grinned back.

"I knew you'd be up for this." He motioned Ichigo back, and pointed one hand at the space between them. The swords in the ground flew away, and created a ring around the two. As Ichigo watched, a glowing white circle appeared on the ground. Within it, pentagram and arcane symbols appeared. "This is the true magus circuit ceremony. It's the safest way I have to activate your circuits. Now, if you do exactly as I say, this might work." He had Ichigo sit in the center of the circle and close his eyes. "Now, I'm going to kickstart the process by forcing some of your power through your circuits." Ichigo nodded once. "All right, here we go!"

As Archer watched, Ichigo began to glow. He grimaced, and, suddenly, a white line shot out from the circle and extended across the red field. Then another. Then 10, then a 100. Soon, thousands were shooting across the mindscape.

"So many circuits!" said Archer, surprised. He tested the quality of one and found it to be more perfect than any he had ever seen before. "This kid's gonna be more powerful than any mage that ever lived on my world!" he muttered. Suddenly, he whipped around back to Ichigo. A column of blinding light shot up from the magic circle beneath him, and collected into a new being. The being, a dazzling woman in a white robe, stood behind Ichigo, as though waiting for something. She had long brown hair to her waist, and her eyes were kind and loving. As the circuits began to glow brighter, she smiled. At their peak, they sustained the light for another second, then faded away. Ichigo's face relaxed, and he slumped to the side, only to be caught by the woman. She gave him a quick once over, then hugged him tightly to her chest.

"Ooh you're so cute!" she gushed. "I knew I was right to pick you!" she giggled, then stopped as she felt a sword at her throat.

"Who are you?" Archer demanded. "How did you get in here? Answer me!" She smiled, gently put down Ichigo, and pushed away the sword with one finger.

" I am his avatar of magecraft." she replied. Archer frowned. "Don't lie to me. I am the avatar of his magecraft!"She laughed.

"Archer, avatars of power are expected to teach their hosts how to use their power. Your magecraft is limited to tracing, which, while ingenious, is also very limited. I am magecraft. There is no being in any part of the multiverse who could ever hope to claim to know anywhere near as much about magecraft as I do. In a way, we're sharing the role. I can teach him what you don't know." Archer relented, and stepped back.

"So, you are part of his magecraft. You still haven't explained where you came from, though. None of Ichigo's avatars just spontaneously appeared. I was summoned here by his mother, and Shiro was inherited from her. So, where did you come from?"

"The Universe. I needed a host, and I chose him." She replied, smiling gently down at Ichigo, who was quietly slumbering with his head in her lap. "I searched the multiverse, and found him, when he was but a very young child. I watched over him as he grew up. I cried with him when his mother died. I laughed as I watched him deal with 'Goat Face'. " At that, Archer let off a quiet chuckle. She stroked his hair, and continued, blushing lightly. "I fell in love with him, but I couldn't reach him. This world had no magecraft. As a being of magecraft, I could never quite reach him. But, when you gave him his circuits, this world opened to me, and I could finally meet him!" She hugged Ichigo again, and kissed the top of his head. She held him for a moment.

Then he woke up. Of course, being Ichigo, he reacted exactly as expected. He freaked out and scrambled away, blushing madly.

"Who are you?" he asked, once he had calmed down somewhat. Archer looked her in the eye.

"I would like to know as well. Your story has given me a theory, but, considering the ramifications if I'm right, I want to hear the truth from you." The woman smiled, and gracefully stood.

"Ichigo, Archer, I am a consciousness of the multiverse. I'm not just the avatar of your magecraft, but the avatar of all magecraft. I am the foundation and source of all thaumaturgy. I am The Root." Archer was completely awed. Here was being that Magi had tried for centuries to meet just once, and Ichigo was her host! He was speechless. On the other hand, Ichigo, having no knowledge of magecraft, simply shrugged, walked up to her, and stuck out his hand.

"Well then. Welcome to my head, Root." She giggled.

"Root, huh? I think I could get used to that!" She bypassed the offered hand, and instead hugged him tight. Ichigo froze for a second, but then, to her surprise, returned the hug. "Well," she laughed, "aren't we getting bold. Well, guess that's part of the reason why I love you!" Ichigo jumped back, surprised.

"You, you . . ."

"Yes Ichigo, I love you. I've been watching over you since you were a small child, and I found myself falling in love with you.

"I, I don't know what to say-" began Ichigo, then Root cut him off.

"No Ichigo. You don't need to respond now. Right now, you are running out of time. You need to learn your powers as a Shinigami, or you'll be consumed by your hollow instincts. Once you have time though, come back, and we can talk. I'll be here waiting." She gave him one last smile, and disappeared.


	3. Chapter 3 - The Name of the Sword

Archer looked at Ichigo, sensing the conflict and confusion in him after all the bombshells that had been dropped on him. He knew that what he needed right now was time. Time to process, and time to figure out his own feelings. The problem was, Archer reminded himself, as Root had said, they were running out of time. Archer could sense the progress of Ichigo's hollowfication, and he knew that if they didn't get him ready soon enough, they would lose him. He turned to Ichigo.

"Ichigo!" he barked. Ichigo jerked. Archer continued "Get your head together! We have, at most, one hour to give you a basic understanding of your powers. Most of them are instinctual, so all I have to do is teach how to use them." He held out his hand.

"Trace ON!" he commanded. Over his hand, a gold circle formed. From it, descended a zanpakuto. He turned to Ichigo. "This is your zanpakuto, Ichigo." Then he shattered it.

"What was that for?!" Ichigo managed, shocked. Archer grinned.

"Did you really think that I was just going to give you your powers as easy as that? On top of that, didn't you see how easily that sword broke?" Ichigo nodded, grimly thinking of the confrontation in the rain, in which Byakuya had so easily sliced through his sword, leaving only a stub. "The solution," continued Archer, "is that I train you until you can make a new sword in a heartbeat." Ichigo frowned.

"And how, exactly, do you expect me to make a sword in mid-battle?" Archer replied with a smirk.

"I'll teach you tracing."

Outside, Urahara was beginning to get seriously worried, though you wouldn't have been able to just by looking at him. Ichigo's chain was approaching the final stage of encroachment, and he was still lying there, dead to the world. Just as Urahara began to walk away, an insanely huge, sinister reiatsu began pouring out of the shaft. Urahara ran back to the hole, and looked over the edge. At first, he was relieved, seeing no hollow hole in Ichigo's chest, then his breath hitches in shock. Ichigo looked up, and gave him an insane grin. Covering half his face was a grinning skull mask.

"No," breathed Urahara, then he ran back, shouting, "TESSAI!" The quiet giant appeared in front of him. "We failed Tessai. We've lost him. We need to seal him before he hurts someone." Tessai bowed his head. He'd grown fond of the fiery teen, and he wished there was a way to save him. He gave Urahara a look of sorrow.

"Okay boss." He began chanting the kidos to seal Ichigo in the shaft forever. Urahara spared Ichigo one last glance, filled with guilt. Once again, someone else had to pay for his miscalculation. Tessai suddenly spoke, in a voice filled with worry, "Boss. I'm laying down the highest level bindings I can, and..."

"And what?" asked Urahara. It sounded like bad news. Suddenly, he noticed that Tessai was not looking at him, but past him. He turned around in time to see a being shoot out of the hole and land in front of them.

"And he's already out." choked Tessai.

Inside Ichigo's inner world, things were looking grim. Archer had only just judged his tracing to be acceptable, when the whole world began to shake. "It's begun." Said Archer, sounding grim.

"What has?" Ichigo asked, worried.

"The Hollowfication." He pointed to the horizon, where a ripple of white had begun to consume his inner world. "We're out of time, Ichigo. You need to claim your powers now!" he finished in a shout.

"Alright then." Holding out his hand, he began to trace, remembering the process Archer had taught him.

"Judging the concept of creation.

Hypothesizing the basic structure.

Duplicating the composition material.

Imitating the skill of its making.

Sympathizing with the experience of its growth.

Reproducing the accumulated years.

Excelling every manufacturing process.

Trace ON!"

With that, the zanpakuto appeared in his hand. It pulsed once with a black glow, and he drove it into the ground. From that point flowed a black ocean of power, flowing out in all directions. The black and the white met like crashing waves, and began to push each other back. Archer turned to Ichigo.

"Get out of here, kid. Get out there and claim your power!" He pushed, and suddenly Ichigo was awake.

Urahara and Tessai were preparing for a fight neither wanted, when, suddenly, the being that was once Ichigo shivered, and the shihakusho of a Shinigami started to flow across him from his right, meeting the hollowfication in the middle of his body. The right side of his face was now free of the mask. He gritted his teeth, reached behind his back, and unsheathed the stump that was left of his sword. Urahara and Tessai braced themselves for a difficult fight, when suddenly, Ichigo awoke, and used the hilt of his sword to shatter the mask that still covered half his face. The pieces fell away, and Ichigo was freed, with his shihakusho spreading to the rest of his body. He looked up at Urahara, grinning, with fire in his eyes.

"Well Geta-Boshi, did I pass your second test?" To his credit, Urahara recovered quickly from his shock.

"Good job Kurosaki-San! I think you're ready for the third test! Combat." Ichigo looked ready.

"What do I need to do?" Urahara spread his fan in front of his face.

"Simple. Knock my hat off, and you pass. Of course, I'll be trying to kill you until you do. The test starts ... Now!" With that, he pulled a sword out of his cane. Holding it upwards in front of his face, he said simply, "Awaken, Benihime." A pulse of red reiatsu burst from him, filling the air with dust. As it cleared, Ichigo could see that Urahara's sword had changed. The hilt had partially straightened out, and the guard had expanded. The blade had also grown, and at certain angles glittered with the color of freshly spilt blood. Ichigo adjusted his stance, raised his hand, and traced his sword. "Nice trick," said Urahara as he closed in, "but how well can you use it?" With that, he was in front of him, slashing his sword. Ichigo blocked, only to be knocked back. "Nice try Kurosaki-San," he laughed, "but it's certainly not good enough!" He charged forward. This time, Ichigo ran.

"He's right," Ichigo realized, "I can't beat him like this. All I can do is run!" He hated himself for it, but he kept running. "I'm such a coward! All I can do is keep running away. How do I get my sword to do what his does?" Archer shouted,

"Ichigo! Call out its name!"

"I don't know its name!"

"Listen, and it will tell you!"

"I don't hear anything!"

"What are you doing? Why do you run Ichigo? The enemy is one, you are one. What fills your ears is the roar of your own fear. What is there to fear? Cast off your fear. Look forward! Go forward! Never stand still. Retreat and you will age. Hesitate and you will die." Ichigo stopped running, and turned towards Urahara. Standing tall, he raised his sword. Urahara slowed.

"Alright, he's finally getting serious."

"Now Ichigo! Shout its name!" Archer yelled, filled with anticipation. Ichigo smiled, and shouted,

"Cut through the heavens and cleave the moon! Reach forever onwards and seize the sun! Rise, ZANGETSU!"


	4. Chapter 4 - The First Fight

"Cut through the heavens and cleave the moon! Reach forever onwards and seize the sun! Rise, ZANGETSU!"

Urahara was blown away by the continuous Reiatsu blast exploding from Ichigo. A black wave flowed out over the ground. At its center, stood Ichigo. In his hand was a huge Khyber Knife, almost as long as Ichigo was tall. The handle was long, long enough for him to hold it two handed, and the white hilt wrap extended down his arm, making him difficult to disarm. The blade was a midnight black, so dark that it seemed to absorb the light around it, and the edge was a glowing white. Ichigo let loose another wave of Reiatsu, then reined it in. Urahara steadied himself, and faced Ichigo.

"Let's do this!" shouted Ichigo, and he flash stepped right at Urahara. Urahara dodged gracefully, and swung at Ichigo's exposed back, only to find the huge blade blocking his stroke.

"You're getting better at this Kurosaki-San!" he shouted, as he dodged another slash from Ichigo. Ichigo merely grinned, and kicked Urahara in the gut as he passed him. Urahara quickly flash stepped back to catch his breath, and grinned.

"Well, Kurosaki-San, it's nice to see you so serious! I guess that makes it past time I started fighting seriously too!" He leapt forward, and swung his sword. "Scream, Benihime!" A red slash blasted forward from Urahara's blade. Ichigo blocked, but the attack still blew him through several huge boulders. He got up slowly, and shook his head, surprised by the power behind the sudden attack.

"So, Archer, what are we dealing with here?"

Archer replied, "If I had to guess, I'd say that his sword has the ability to shape his reiatsu, in any way he can imagine, to do whatever he wants it too."

"An ability like that," said Ichigo wonderingly, "in the hands of a man like Urahara?!"

"Yeah," replied Archer, "We're kind of boned."

"Not yet, we're not." said Ichigo determinedly. "What can we do?"

"Well," Archer began quickly running through his options, "You just need to drop his hat, right?"

"Yeah, I guess." said Ichigo, confused.

"Sweet." Archer grinned. "Alright Ichigo. I'm going to teach how to shoot an arrow!"

Ichigo grinned. "Sweet is right. Let's do this!"

"Alright, here's the plan..."

Urahara grinned when he saw Ichigo getting up painfully, and begin reassessing him warily. "Hah!" He chuckled. "That'll teach him to underestimate me!" Suddenly, he realized that Ichigo was grinning at him. Then, Ichigo ran right at him in an impressive flash step but he missed, then missed him again on the other side.

"You're aim's pretty embarrassing, huh, Kurosaki-San? I mean ..." That was when Urahara realized that Ichigo was not trying to attack him, but instead, was kicking up a smokescreen. He smiled approvingly.

"Well done, kurosaki-San. You have begun thinking tactically." He prepared himself for Ichigo's next attack, now not able to tell from what direction his next charge would come. Suddenly, he saw a white flash, and an arrow shot through the dust, dispelling it in its wake. It whistled just over Urahara's head, impaling his hat. He spun around in time to see the arrow hit a boulder and stick fast, then dissolve, allowing the hat to gently fall to the ground. Urahara turned back to Ichigo, who was putting down a huge black longbow that was dissolving in much the same way as the arrow had.

"Well Kurosaki-san, you've won. You pass the final test!"

Ichigo smiled wearily, dissolving his sword, and said, "Geta-Boshi, I'm just going to sleep for a while now." With that, he fell forward onto his face, and fell asleep. Deep inside him somewhere, his bleached double looked up and grinned.

"Not bad, Ichigo." He laughed.

Ichigo woke up slowly, savoring the feeling of a warm bed, and opened his eyes. Looming over him was the huge form of Tessai, Urahara's assistant. "Aah! What are you doing!?" shouted Ichigo, scrambling away.

"I was merely checking up on your condition." rumbled Tessai, unruffled. "From how lively you are, I'd say you're fine. The Boss is waiting for you down below, with someone to train you in some of the other Shinigami arts." Ichigo looked excited.

"All right! Let's do this!"

Meanwhile, Urahara was having a serious discussion with a black cat. The oddest part was the fact that the cat was responding, in an impressively deep, masculine voice.

"What did you call me for, Kisuke? I only just finished with those other kids. You were right about them, though. They have a good bit of potential. With a bit more traini-"

"You have to see this kid first!" interrupted Urahara. "You know my three test system?" he asked excitedly. Yoruichi nodded, having seen Urahara develop the system. "Well, I tried it on Ichigo, and he passed! All three tests!" Yoruichi was shocked.

"The third test too?!" it pressed, disbelieving.

"Yeah! I even had to release my sword, and start going full out! Even so, he beat me in a few minutes, and he didn't use any of his own sword's Shikai abilities!" Urahara was overjoyed. He had finally found someone worthy to whom he could pass his skills. Yoruichi was intrigued.

"How long did you give him between the second and third tests to get used to his powers?" Yoruichi suddenly asked. "I hope you didn't rush him." Urahara looked guilty.

"I gave him a whole minute..."

"A minute?! You gave him one minute with his powers, and he beat you?!"Urahara looked defensive.

"I just forgot about his abilities as a Quincy!" Yoruichi froze, and slowly turned to him.

"A Quincy?" Urahara gave it an uneasy smile.

"I never told you? His mother, Masaki, was one of the most powerful Quincies ever."

"What?! Then that night, 9 years ago, how did she die?!" Urahara had an indescribably sad look on his face. He said quietly,

"That's a story for another day. He's coming now."

Ichigo shouted down, "Geta-Boshi! Why do you have to have this damn ladder as the only way down?! Every time I'm on it, I feel like I'm gonnaaaaAAAAAGGHHHHHH!" Yoruichi gave Urahara a sideways look. Urahara laughed.

"He must have slipped on that ladder! I wonder if he'll ever figure out that he could just jump to get down here? As a Shinigami, he's durable enough to make it." he chuckled. The cat beside him shook its head at his antics, then looked up to see Ichigo coming towards them quickly using his Flash Step. Yoruichi nodded approvingly. The kid had already gotten up to a good speed, and he only had a day's worth of experience with it. Ichigo came up to them, decelerating quickly.

"So, how are we going to be doing my training?" he asked without preamble. Urahara smiled.

"We have 10 days before we send you to the Soul Society. During that time, we'll be alternating training you. I'll train you with the sword, and Yoruichi'll train you in Hakuda and Flash Step."

"What are those?" asked Ichigo, confused. He'd already been through so much weirdness, he didn't even notice that it was a cat that would be training him.

"Hakuda is a style of hand-to-hand combat, and Flash Step is a high speed movement technique. I'll be teaching you Zanjutsu, the way of the sword." Urahara explained.

Suddenly, Ichigo felt a drop in his reiatsu, and Archer appeared in the real world.

"I have a change in the plan."

"Archer!" exclaimed Ichigo, surprised. Urahara gave him a piercing look.

"So, you're his Quincy spirit?" Archer noticed his expression and quickly explained.

"I'm not Yhwach. I replaced him." Urahara visibly relaxed, and Yoruichi muttered to him, questioning.

"Yhwach?"

"Later," responded Urahara in a similar manner. He turned to Archer. "What's your plan, then?" Archer smiled.

"The cat will train him the first three days, you take the next 3 days, and I'll train him the last three days."

"And the tenth day?"

"Let him spend it with his family. It's the festival day, isn't it?" Yoruichi and Urahara nodded. It sounded reasonable. Suddenly, Urahara was struck by a thought.

"What will you train him in?" he asked. Archer traced Kanshou and Bakuya, his twin swords.

"I'll train him to fight as a mage."


	5. Chapter 5 - Revelations

It had been only 9 days since Ichigo had gone on his summer trip, and Yuzu already missed her big brother dearly. Looking at Yuzu pout while she cooked, Karin, while she would never admit it, realized that she too missed her perpetually scowling older brother. She returned to her copy of Jump, only to hear the doorbell ringing. The twins ran to the door, and swung it open to see their much-missed big brother, for once smiling, waiting on the doorstep.

"Ichigo!" they cried as they dove into him and hugged him tightly.

"Ha ha," Ichigo laughed as he hugged them back, "Yeah, I'm back." He looked up the stairs. "Where's Goat Face?"

"He's still in the clinic. He won't be back for another hour or so. Anyway, why do you want to see him? Did you miss his antics or something?" Karin laughed. "Anyway, come on! The festival is today, and we need to save seats! All the others are already on their way."

"Huh? What do you mean, everyone?"

"You know. Orihime, Chad, Uryu, and Tatsuki!"

"Alright! You two go and join them. There's a couple of things I need to take care of, but I'll be there by the time the festival starts."

"Okay. By the way, are you taking a date? Orihime and Uryu are going together, so you should bring a date too."

"Inou and Ishida, huh?" He laughed gently, "Those two are a perfect match. No, I'm not bringing a da..." Suddenly, Ichigo was struck by a thought. This was the perfect opportunity! He turned to his sisters.

"Actually, I have someone in mind. I have to ask them first, though." His sisters looked visibly excited, and started cheering.

"Yes! Ichigo is finally taking an interest in girls! We knew you weren't gay!"

"Wait what?!"

"Nothing!" They said laughing as they ran off. Shaking off his irritation, he sat down on the couch, and closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes, he was back in the endless field of swords.

"Root?" He called out. A white flash went off behind him, and when he turned around, she was there. She smiled at him, and said

"Yes Ichigo?"

"Root. We should talk."

"Alright." She grinned and pointed her finger, and a comfy chair appeared behind both of them. They sat down, and Ichigo began.

"Root, when you appeared, the first thing you did was confess your feelings toward me. You've basically known me my whole life, and know me better than just about anyone else. I'll admit, when I first saw you, I was attracted to you, but the problem is that I don't really know you yet. All I know is your name and a basic summary of what you are. I can't reciprocate your feelings until I really get to know you." Root gave him a sad smile, and nodded.

"You're right. I'm almost a stranger, aren't I? So, what do you want to do?" Ichigo smiled, suddenly nervous.

"Well, I was thinking that we could start by going on a date. Root, do you want to go to the festival with me?" Her eyes shining, she grabbed him in a hug.

"Yes!" Ichigo grinned, and returned the hug. Suddenly, Archer appeared.

"Ichigo. Your father is here, and he appears to be about to attack you." Ichigo gently disengaged from the hug, and muttered, "That idiot." Archer and Root looked at him in concern.

"Ichigo," Root began, "are you sure you want to do this? What you learn here could change everything you think you know about yourself and your family." She warned, holding his hand. Ichigo gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and stood.

"I have to do this guys. I need to know." With that, he left his inner world for the real one.

He opened his eyes in time to stop his dad's flying jump kick in one hand, and throw him aside.

"Ah my son! You have stopped my special move so easily! I have trained you well..." Isshin stopped as he got a good look at Ichigo. He wasn't just raging at him over his idiocy like he normally did. No, now he looked completely serious, and a little apprehensive.

"Dad, don't lie to me, I need to know. Are you, or were you, a Shinigami?" Isshin paused. He had wondered when Ichigo would figure it out. Isshin turned to his son, his face for once lacking the mischievous idiotic look he was known for.

"Yes Ichigo, I was. My name was Shiba Isshin, and I was the Taichou of the 10th Company, of the 13 Court Guard Squads. Before I left, I was in line to become the next Taichou of the Zero Squad." Ichigo had been expecting a yes, but he was shocked to realize just how powerful his father really was.

"If you were so powerful, why did you leave?" he asked.

"Well," his Isshin began, "the story begins around 20 years ago. I was in my office, going through some reports, and I found one that reported a town where a lot of Shinigami had died recently. Karakura. Being a bit impulsive, I decided to go down and investigate the matter myself. I opened the Senkaimon and made my way over here, where I met up with the two Shinigami on duty. I told them to leave, then I pulsed my reiatsu out across the town to attract the attention of whatever had killed all the previous men assigned here. I was midway through killing some small fry hollows that had shown up, when I heard a disturbance from the direction I had sent the two men on duty. I ran over, but it was too late. I arrived just in time to see them die." At this, his father had such a sorrowful look that Ichigo almost asked him to stop. Then Isshin continued.

"Furious, I turned to the being that had slaughtered them. It was a mostly black hollow, except for its face, which was covered in a bone white mask. It was skull shaped, with two long horns pointing forward from the sides. Its body was humanoid, but it's fingers ended in claws. Its reiatsu was easily stronger than my own, but what truly worried me was the zanpakuto it wielded with obvious ease. I readied my sword for the fight of my life." He paused, and Ichigo leaned in.

"What happened?" Isshin gave him a rueful smile.

"I had my ass handed to me, that's what. That bastard shrugged off my best attacks, and just kept coming. I started to believe that I would die that night."

"Well obviously you didn't, so what happened?"

"Your mother did."

"Mom?"

"She just appeared out of nowhere, and distracted it from finishing me off. It charged right at her, and without flinching, she let it bite her shoulder. Then, having it pinned, she shot it point blank in the face with a Quincy arrow."

"So Mom was a Quincy."

"Yes, one of the most powerful Quincies to ever walk the earth. You don't seem surprised, though," Isshin noticed.

"My Quincy spirit already told me she was a Quincy when I met him."

"Ah, that makes sense. Anyway, back to the story. Your mother wasn't seriously hurt, so she came over to check on me. She was afraid at first, that I would hate her because she was a Quincy, but I just laughed. She was the first Quincy I had ever met, and she had saved my life! How could I ever hate her? I told her so, and she laughed, and relaxed. I think I fell in love with her then itself. Over the next few weeks, I kept looking for excuses to meet her, then one day everything changed. I had gotten Toushiro, my third seat, to cover me again, and I went down to the world of the living to see her again. I was walking down the street, when I heard the roar of a huge hollow. I followed the sound, and ran into a man carrying a woman while trying to escape a horde of hollows. I slaughtered the hollows and turned around grinning, expecting adulation, then I saw who I had saved, and my smile died. It was Ryuken, Masaki's cousin. The woman was Masaki's herself. She had a slowly widening hole in her chest, and a mask was forming on her face. She was turning into a hollow. I did the only thing I could. I took her to Urahara."

"Wait, why was she turning into a hollow?!" Ichigo cut in.

"It started the night of that fight. When she was bitten by that hollow, it left the seed of corruption in her. She was infected, and as a Quincy, she had absolutely zero resistance. It's amazing that she lasted that long as it is. When I took her to Urahara, her outlook was grim. He told us that he had some experience in this field. He said that when he'd treated Shinigami with this condition, he'd given them an infusion of a Quincy's light arrow to counteract the hollow reiatsu that was overwhelming them. He could modify the process for a Quincy, but there would be complications. Masaki's advanced condition, combined with the Quincy's natural vulnerability to this condition, meant that she needed a huge, constant supply of Shinigami reiatsu. He had a method to give her the dose. A modified Gigai that would constantly drain the reiatsu of the soul within it, and a conduit that would automatically send the power to her. All he needed was a Taichou level Shinigami to be the power source. I volunteered, and I stepped into the Gigai. As soon as I was in it, I could feel all my powers disappear. I looked over at Masaki, and as I watched, her mask disappeared, and the hollow hole closed. Ryuken took her home, and Urahara gave me a place to crash. He told me the full ramifications of my choice. I would live forever in this Gigai, because of my Shinigami nature, but for as long as Masaki and her descendants carried the seed of that hollow, I would not be able to use my powers. As thanks for what I had done for his cousin, Ryuken set me up to go to med school, and with his help, I opened a clinic. I dated your mother for several years, then I married her. We had you, and a few years later, we had your sisters. Then, a year later, she died. The fact that my powers are still sealed can only mean one thing. That seed of the hollow is in you now. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem, but your insane reiatsu is tearing apart the seals holding it from the inside out. In fact, you probably already have a Hollow power spirit in your head."

Deep in Ichigo's head, Shiro sneezed.

"I've never met my hollow spirit, though." Ichigo pointed out.

"That's because of the seal. There must be enough of it remaining to keep you two separate."

"So, what do we do now?"

"Now? Now you have a choice. I can either release the seals now, and let you two meet now, or I can try and maintain the seals for as long as I can, and he'll be released at some random time. Maybe even mid battle!"

Ichigo laughed. "What are the odds of him being released in the middle of a fight?"

"So," Isshin asked, "What's your plan?"

"Release the seals."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Do it." Isshin put on a glove that looked familiar to Ichigo.

"Wait, that's the glove Rukia used to knock me out of my body!" Isshin looked up.

"Yeah, I got it from Urahara in case I ever needed it." With that, he put his hand on his chest, and pushed. He fell backwards out of his body, which fell limply to one side. His shihakusho was standard issue. The only difference was the white Haori, with the Kanji for 10 on the back.

He held his hand out in front of his chest, and a chain appeared in his hand. One end was stuck into his chest, and the other end wrapped around Ichigo several times before feeding into his own chest. Ichigo suddenly felt the weight and restraint of the seal around him. His dad looked him in the eyes.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Isshin nodded.

"Brace yourself." With that, Isshin yanked the chain, and the seal shattered. Ichigo suddenly felt lighter, and more powerful than he had ever felt before. Then he blacked out.


	6. Chapter 6 - The Festival

When Ichigo woke up, he was in the endless sword world. He looked up to see Root, looking worried, and Archer, looking oddly excited.

"Well?", asked Ichigo, "Where is my inner hollow?" Archer held up a hand to stop him.

"Ichigo. Before you meet him, I ask you to keep an open mind. Your father's story may have left you biased against him, and that's not fair to him." Ichigo nodded. It made sense. Archer called out.

"SHIRO!" The air swirled around them, and white particles that had suddenly appeared in the air coalesced into a the form of a teen. For Ichigo, it was like looking in a mirror. The teen looked exactly like him, from his features to his movements. The only difference was that the teen was entirely white, except for his eyes, which were a photo negative of Ichigo's own. The teen grinned at him.

"Why do you look like me?" questioned Ichigo, surprised.

"Before I answer that, let me ask you a question. Did you know that twins run in your family?"

"I had no idea."

"You had a twin too, Ichigo. He was born a spirit though, so he had no body. To keep himself from fading, he instinctively reached out to you, the elder by a couple of seconds, while something else did as well. The seed of a hollow. They fused, and became the spirit of your hollow powers, sealed in you as a part of you, forever."

"You mean..?"

"Yes Ichigo. I am your twin brother, Kurosaki Shiro." Ichigo suddenly grinned.

"You know, I always wanted a twin." Shiro returned the grin.

"Well, here you go. You're not getting rid of me." Ichigo had an idea.

"Well," he began, "Root and I are going on a date later today at the festival. Our family and all my friends will be there. Do you want to come?" Shiro was surprised.

"I'd love to! I've always wanted to meet your, no, our sisters face to face."

"Sweet! Then, you two get ready, and I'll get out there and tell Dad he released you!"

"Wait Ichigo! Don't tell him who I am. I want it to be revealed to everyone together at the festival."

"You got it. By the way, Archer, do you want to come?"

"Nah, I'm good."

"Ok." Ichigo gave Shiro a thumbs up, and left the field. Shiro turned to Archer and grinned.

"That went well." Archer commented.

"I know, right? I thought for sure we'd end up always fighting for control or something." Archer looked at him.

"You know, if he had decided to let the seal be, and it had collapsed rather than be released, then you probably would never been able to tell him that you are his brother. You two would have constantly fought for control, and probably would have always held a grudge against each other. This way though, with you two working together, he'll be more powerful than he ever could have been alone." Shiro nodded, excited for the future.

When Ichigo woke up, the first thing he noticed was his father with a permanent marker, about to draw on his face. He swung his foot up and kicked Isshin out of the room.

"You bastard! What were you about to do?!"

"Nothing, nothing," he laughed.

"Alright," said Ichigo, calm again, "let me get ready for the festival."

"Alright, I'll see you there." As soon as his dad left the room, he flash stepped out of the room, and down to the Urahara Shoten.

"Geta-Boshi! Where are you?" Urahara stuck his head out of one of the doors.

"Well hello Kurosaki-San! What can I do for you?"

"How do I bring my power spirits into the real world?"

"Hmm, that's an advanced technique, Kurosaki-San. It's pretty simple, though. Just extend your reiatsu inward, and when you feel the energy of the spirit you wish to summon, just pull, and they'll come out. I will tell you that once you do this, they'll be able to come out whenever they want to. Your Quincy spirit, Archer, can already do this."

"Sweet! Thanks Geta-Boshi!" With that, he sped away in a puff of dust.

At the spot that Isshin had saved in advance to watch the fireworks, everyone was waiting for Ichigo and his mysterious date. Yuzu and Karin were watching their father's crazy antics, Uryu was doing some sewing, sitting against Orihime, and Orihime and Tatsuki were chatting away while Chad looked on in stoic silence. Suddenly, there was whoosh behind Orihime, and she felt a very familiar reiatsu.

"Ichigo!"

"Hey Inoue."

"Where's your date?" Instead of answering, Ichigo merely closed his eyes, and followed Urahara's steps. Next to him, a beautiful woman in a shimmering golden kimono appeared.

"Here she is. Guys, meet my date, Root." Ishida laughed.

"Now that's how you make an entrance!" As the girls all crowded around her, Ichigo found himself standing apart with Uryu, Chad, and Isshin.

"Dad, I need you to get everyone's attention. There's a huge announcement I need to make." Isshin raised an eyebrow at this, but didn't comment. He called everyone over, and they crowded around to see what Ichigo's other big reveal was. He grinned. This was going to be fun.

"Hey guys, I just wanted you to meet my twin brother, Shiro." Shiro popped into existence, and gave a wave.

"Yo."

"Now, before you guys freak out like I know you're on the verge of doing, hear me out. When we were born, I was born alive, and he was born a spirit. To stay on this plane, he instinctively reached out to me, and anchored himself onto me. In doing so, he combined with the seed of a hollow that I inherited from my mom. Since Dad had sealed that seed, Shiro was sealed away until Dad released the seal." Yuzu stepped up to Shiro, and looked into his eyes.

"Is all that true?" Shiro smiled down at her.

"Yeah, it is. Hello, little sister." Yuzu's eyes shone, then she hugged Shiro tight.

"Hi big brother. Welcome to our family!" With that, Karin came forward and joined the hug. Isshin came up slowly.

"Hi Dad."

"Hello my son." With that, Isshin ran forward in tears and hugged Shiro and his new sisters.

"Masaki! Your other son has returned to us!" he sobbed out loud. After a bit, Isshin finally let go of him, but Yuzu and Karin stubbornly held onto one arm each. Karin looked at him, and grinned.

"So, how does it feel to be a part of our crazy family?" Shiro turned to her, and, to her surprise, his eyes were shining with happiness.

"It's everything I ever dreamed it could be." Smiling at their new brother's happiness, the two sisters hugged him again, then they and Isshin dragged him off to the festival to spend time together. Shiro looked back for a second, and Ichigo shooed him, and laughed.

"Have fun!" Shiro gave him a look of gratitude, and went off with his new family. Ichigo turned back to his friends, who were still speechless,and his date.

"Ichigo!" Tatsuki grinned. "I'm proud of you! You finally got yourself a girlfriend!"

"Wait wait wait," Ichigo stammered, "this is just the first date!" Root stepped to his side, and held his hand.

"The first of many, I hope."

"Of course!" Ichigo said automatically, then blushed as his friends laughed. They spent the rest of the evening wandering the stalls. At the goldfish stall, Root was starting to get frustrated. Every time she tried to catch a fish, her net broke. As she was on her tenth net and counting, Ichigo decided to step in.

"Root, I think you're doing it wrong-" Root, thoroughly frustrated, cut him off.

"No, this is impossible! No one can do this!" Ichigo smirked, took the net from her, and caught a fish on his first try.

"Hey, Ichigo!" complained the shopkeeper, "Last year you promised that you wouldn't play again!"

"Sorry, sorry," laughed Ichigo, "I'll put him back." With that, he poured the fish back into the pool. Root decided to move on at that point, so they walked off. As they walked off, Uryu asked Ichigo,

"Kurosaki, why'd you promise that guy you wouldn't play?" Orihime laughed.

"Oh, I forgot that you weren't here with us last year. Anyway, what happened was that last year, Yuzu was trying to catch a fish, and when she failed, that shopkeeper laughed. When Ichigo found out why she was unhappy, he stormed back to that stall, and caught all of that man's fish, one after another, using one net. The man begged Kurosaki-san to never come back. He agreed, and in exchange the man apologized to Yuzu and let him keep the fish." Uryu laughed.

"So that was why that guy was freaking out from the moment Kurosaki and Root showed up!" Everyone chuckled, and they went to find the spot they had saved to watch the fireworks. They sat down, and the show began. As Ichigo and Root sat hand in hand, she smiled and turned to him.

"Thank you for a perfect first date, Ichigo. I'm going to go back to your head now. Your family is coming, and," she grinned mischievously, "they are all completely drunk. I'll leave you the gift of dealing with them!" She laughed, kissed him on the cheek, and disappeared in a swirl of light. As Ichigo sat there, feeling giddy after his first experience in dating, he heard Shiro call out from behind him.

"Hey, lover boy!" Ichigo turned around and saw Shiro coming to join the them. On his back were the twins, both fast asleep. As he got closer, Ichigo saw that Shiro was dragging Isshin by his collar, who was deliriously muttering. Shiro laughed.

"These geniuses somehow managed to get drunk on fruit juice!" Behind him, Isshin muttered,

"The old man at the juice stall got water'n sake mixed up. 'Snot ma fault." Ichigo laughed as he boosted Isshin onto his back.

"You old drunk, I bet you knew perfectly well what was in it." Isshin's only answer was a long snore. He had fallen asleep. As the brothers trudged home to drop off their family, Ichigo grew serious.

"Shiro, are you ready for tonight?"

"Sure! All we're doing is invading Soul Society, the center of Shinigami power." He said it jokingly, but they both knew it was true. They left Isshin and the twins at home, and went to Urahara's Shoten. At the shop, they met with Chad, Orihime, and Uryu. Orihime looked ready.

"Not nervous?" asked Ichigo. She smiled. "I said goodbye to Tatsuki before we left, and she told me she was sure I would be fine. I'm glad we told her about everything." Ichigo nodded. He had originally considered keeping everything a secret from her, but, knowing his oldest friend, he knew that would only make her worry more. They had come clean, and once she had seen their powers, she felt confident in her friends' chances. She still worried about Orihime, but not as much. Shiro turned to Chad and Uryu.

"Where's Geta-Boshi?"

"Right here!"

"Jesus, you scared me!" As the others laughed, Shiro frowned, then gave a rueful grin. Ichigo stepped forward, suddenly deadly serious.

"Geta-Boshi. Let's go." Urahara stopped laughing, and nodded, leading them inside. Ichigo was last to go in, and just before he entered, he noticed a black cat appear. He went over to it.

"Yoruichi, are you coming with us?"

"Yes I am, but not alone. I was exiled from Soul Society a long time ago, so I will not be able to help you. On top of that, I can't expect it to have stayed the same in the hundred or so years I've been gone."

"So who else is coming then?" The cat suddenly had a playful look in its eyes.

"I'll give you a clue. I had to clear the alcohol out of his system just now so that he could come."

"Oh, no! Are you telling me that-"

"Yes Ichigo, the final member of our little party is your father. Out of all of us, he left the Seireitei last, so he'll know it best." A boisterous voice sounded behind them.

"Ichigo!" Ichigo sighed, and turned around.

"Hi Dad." Isshin laughed, and calmed down. He suddenly looked serious.

"Dad? Why do you look so serious?" said Ichigo, confused. He'd never seen his dad look like this. His father looked him in the eyes.

"Ichigo. As long as I've lived in this world, I've enjoyed the fact that we could live peacefully, that I could be silly, and I wouldn't get anyone killed by it. That time is over. We are putting ourselves back into a conflict that has been continuing for thousands of years. I cannot afford to be silly any longer. It's past time that I once again took up my responsibilities as a captain, to fight any evil that faces me." Ichigo was shocked, but secretly glad. When he had heard that his dad was coming, his father's antics were the first thing that came to mind. He had forgotten that before he had become a father, he had been one of the most powerful captains Soul Society had. His power would be helpful in the coming battle. The three of them turned, and went down to Urahara's training area.

Down below, everyone was waiting. Urahara no longer had that sly look that he always had. He looked deadly serious. He opened the Senkaimon.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked. Ichigo turned to Shiro.

"You want to go back into my head?" Shiro shrugged.

"That's probably the best course for us, as of now." With that, he faded away, back to the endless field. Ichigo looked forward, through the gate.

"Everyone ready to go?"

"Yeah!" they said in unison. Ichigo looked over at Urahara.

"How do we do this?" Urahara looked him in the eyes.

"You run. Don't stop for anything, don't slow for anything, don't even look back. The Dangai is full of mysterious creatures, and if you get caught, you wont just be killed. Your soul will be destroyed as well. When you get to the other side, be ready for anything." Ichigo nodded, then signaled the others. Together, they ran through the portal.


	7. Chapter 7 - The Rukongai

As the group ran through the Senkaimon, they found themselves in a grey tunnel. The walls appeared to be made of grey clouds. Far down the tunnel, a light could be seen. Suddenly, a dull roar sounded from behind them.

"Run!" shouted Yoruichi and Isshin together. Ichigo grabbed Chad, Uryu grabbed Orihime, and Yoruichi and Isshin came up behind as they used their respective high speed techniques to speed off.

"What is that?!" shouted Uryu.

"The Kototsu." answered Isshin in a deadly serious voice.

"The what?!"

"It's the Cleaner. Every seven years or so, it travels through the Dangai. Anyone caught in it will be trapped here forever. We must have timed the trip badly."

"Stop talking and RUN!" Yoruichi shouted, "It's getting closer!" There was another 10 meters to go, and Ichigo saw that they would not make it. He closed his eyes as his inner spirits shouted out to him, and braced himself. Suddenly, Orihime's voice rang out.

" _Santen Kesshun! I Reject!"_ A huge orange shield burst into existence between them and the Kototsu.

"No!" shouted Yoruichi, but then the Kototsu hit the shield. The resulting explosion threw them out of the Dangai, and they smashed into the street in the Rukongai. Ichigo hit the ground, and everything went black.

He stirred himself in a few minutes, but it was enough time for a crowd to have gathered. Isshin got up, and when they saw his captain's Haori, they scattered.

"What happened?" Ichigo asked as he turned around to the others.

"You stupid girl," shouted Yoruichi, "the only reason you survived that debacle was because of luck! Never do that again!" Orihime teared up a little at this, and when Yoruichi noticed, the cat stopped.

"Orihime," the cat said gently, "I only say this because I was worried about you. We could have lost you forever in there. If the Kototsu had hit one of your fairies instead of your shield, you and they would have been sucked in for all time." Orihime sniffled, and calmed down. Yoruichi turned to Isshin.

"Where do you think we are?" Isshin looked around.

"I'd say we're in the outer rim of the Rukongai." Yoruichi nodded .

"That explains those people's' reaction to you." Ichigo was confused. Why would they be afraid of their own protectors? Isshin turned to Ichigo.

"Every soul that enters Soul Society is assigned to one of the eighty districts of the Rukongai. The districts get more dangerous and lawless. The outer rims are even worse. When they saw us, they must have thought that we were here to arrest them or something. The Shinigami are the law around here, after all."

"How do we get to Shinigami Central?" Yoruichi raised an eyebrow at his unusual nickname.

"You mean the Seireitei? It's at the center of the Rukongai. We'll have to be careful though. There are layers of security around it."

"Like what?"

"The walls are made of Sekki-Sekki, which will absorb your reiatsu and leave you no stronger than a powerless soul."

"What about the gates?"

"If you try the Four Great Pure Soul Gates, at the cardinal points of the Seireitei, you'll be faced with the guardians of the gates. There's Jidanbō at the West, Higonyūdō at the South, Danzōmaru at the North, and Kaiwan at the East gate. They are four powerful giant warriors, and they have never been defeated. And yes. They are literally giants. We need to be stealthy or we'll never get past the gates." The group nodded. Yoruichi turned to Isshin.

"Lead the way." Isshin nodded once, then gestured to the others.

'Follow me, you guys. Let's go." They headed down the street. As Ichigo walked down the street, he looked around and saw the poverty and wretched conditions.

"Dad. Is this really the afterlife? It's so... poor." Isshin looked around with sorrow as they walked on.

"Central 46, the high government of Soul Society, is completely corrupt. Any civil improvement money is funneled directly into their own pockets. Meanwhile, the rest of Soul Society continues to deteriorate. Those nobles only care about themselves." Ichigo was seeing a whole new side to his father. He had never heard him sound so angry over something. His father shook himself out of his funk, and looked forward.

"We're coming up on the outer limits of the Seireitei. I think that we're pretty close to the West Gate. I hope we don't have meet Jidanbō. He's guarded this gate for 400 years, and has never once been defeated. I've heard that he once defeated 30 hollows with a single swipe of his axe."

"He uses an axe?"

"Yep, a huge one the size of a man." Ichigo tried to imagine what a man large enough to hold an axe that big would look like, and suddenly, he received an image from Archer. A hulking grey man, with bulging muscles and wild black hair. The most striking thing about him was the huge stone axe-sword he wielded, and even more so, the white haired little girl on his back. Ichigo sensed a hint of sorrow from Archer at the girl, then he got a name. The giant. He was called Berserker. Ichigo shivered.

"I hope I never have to fight him."

"You won't" reassured Archer. Isshin heard Ichigo muttering.

"Who are you talking to?"

"Archer."

"Ah." They walked forward in silence, until the Seireitei was visible.

"Hey! There's no walls! If we run we can make it, easy!"

"Wait Ichigo, No!" shouted Yoruichi and Isshin together. Suddenly, huge grey slabs started falling from the sky, making a wall. Just before Ichigo crossed the city limits, the last one landed right in front of him, and sealed him out. He ran straight into, bounced off, and landed on his rear. As he got up, a huge shadow loomed over him. He spun around. Looming over him was a giant. One arm was covered in armour, and on his head was a double tassel fez. Under normal circumstances, Ichigo would have been suitably impressed, but after the monster that Archer had shown him, this guy was a pussy cat. He could tell Archer agreed. Seeing the giant's fez, only one thought came to mind.

"Are you the Doctor?"

"What? Who?"

"No on the first one, yes on the second."

"What? Never mind. I am Jidanbō. I am the Guardian of the West Gate. I am the strongest of the four guardians, and I am your opponent, you country bumpkin!"

"So not the Doctor, then."

"What the hell are you talking about!?"

"Never mind, inside joke. Anyway, if I beat you, I can pass?"

"Hmm. You are the first to ask. Most people just attack first. There is hope for you yet. You know what? Yes. If you can beat me in single combat, you and your companions may pass."

"Sweet, thanks! You're not so bad, you know that." As the others finally reached Ichigo, they were suddenly intimidated by the hulking form chatting with Ichigo.

"Ichigo! What are you doing there?! We need to get out of here! That's Jidanbō!"

"I know. We've been chatting. We came to an agreement. If I beat him in single combat, we can pass!" The others looked to Jidanbō. He nodded seriously.

"It is as he says. None may interfere in any way, or the result of the fight is null and void."

Isshin could see that there was no way of getting Ichigo out of this one, so he motioned the others back to give the two some room. Ichigo sized up Jidanbō as the giant pulled an axe out of his shihakusho. Suddenly, without warning, the giant burst forward with a speed one would not expect from a being his size. Ichigo knew he only had a split second to react, and he knew he had to make an impression on the hulking gatekeeper to make him surrender quickly. Instead leaping out of the way, he reinforced his arm to the limit, reached to the side, and _caught the blade of the axe._ Jidanbō, surprised by the ease with which Ichigo blocked his best stroke, pulled out a second axe, and sprang back to get ready for another charge. Ichigo reached out, and traced his zanpakutō.

"Cut through the heavens and cleave the moon! Reach forever onwards and seize the sun! Rise, ZANGETSU!" As Jidanbō came down over his head with both axes, Ichigo swung his blade up to meet the dual axes. Both axes shattered, and Jidanbo was sent flat out on his back. Uryu was the first to speak.

"You, you killed him." he said, in a wondrous tone. Then he flinched, because Jidanbō jumped back onto his feet.

"Not bad, kid! You are the first to have ever knocked me over. I'm not done yet, though. As long as I have my two babies, I can beat anyo-" Then he looked at his hands. Or more specifically, his axes. Or even more specifically, the stumps of his axes. With that, he fell to the ground.

"My axes!" He cried, as tears poured down his face, "My babies! They're ruined! Waaaaaaaaaaaagh!" Ichigo was more than a little unsettled by this.

"Archer? What do I do with this guy?" Ichigo panicked.

"I don't know! He doesn't seem all that bad. How about you just apologise for breaking his 'Babies'," he and Shiro sniggered at this, while Root fought her own smile, "And maybe he'll remember that he promised to let us through."

"Sounds like a plan." He knelt by Jidanbō's huge, weepy face.

"Hey big guy. Listen, I'm sorry about your axes. Maybe I should have just broken one or something, breaking both was probably overkill." Jidanbo raised his face.

"You're a real nice guy, you know that?" Jidanbō cried. "Look at me. Weeping like a baby. You're a real man. I'll follow through on my promise. I'll open the gate for you guys."

He got up, and turned to the gate. He hooked his fingers under it, and pulled. As the gate slowly raised, Ichigo was surprised to see a man standing there. He had a white captain's coat, and his face of reminiscent of a snake.

"Hey, any of you guys recognise that guy?" He was surprised to see Jidanbō start to shake.

"That's Ichimaru Gin. Captain of the 3rd Company."

The man spoke to Jidanbō, in a voice both soft, yet dangerous.

"Why Jidanbō, are you opening the gate?"

"Yes. They beat me, so I opened the gate. That's the job of a gatekeeper."

"No, no, no. If intruders beat the the gatekeeper," he pulled out a short sword, and held it at his hip like a gunslinger, "then it's the gatekeeper's job **to die.** Spear, Shinsō." With that, the sword extended out in the blink of an eye, and carved off one of Jidanbō's arms. Roaring in pain, Jidanbō fell to his knees trying to hold up the gate with his remaining arm. Ichigo charged forward, furious. Gin gave him a predatory smile, and Shinsō speared forward again. Instead of dodging, Ichigo used the flat of his sword to deflect the edge away.

"Well," said Gin, surprised, "aren't you a scary kid." As Ichigo swung his sword down onto Gin, Gin reached one hand forward.

"Hadō #31. Shakkahō (Red Flame Cannon)" Ichigo was blasted back by the resulting explosion, right into Jidanbō. Both were knocked back, and the others jumped back before the gate slammed down.

"Damn, I failed." was the last thought through Ichigo's head, as he blacked out.


	8. Chapter 8 - The Shibas

Hey all, I finally decided to do my first author's note. Unless something comes up, I'll mostly just use this to respond to reviews. Thanks to all my readers!

To **Phuxeds** and **Neema Amiry:**

Thank you for your questions, they will be explained as the story progresses.

To **Bunny153539:**

Thank you for your suggestions. I will be putting off Servants for now, but your recommendations were invaluable.

I own nothing. Bleach & Fate/stay belong to Tite Kubo and Type Moon respectively.

* * *

When Ichigo awoke, the first thing he remembered was his humiliating defeat at the hands of Ichimaru Gin. His mood immediately soured, then he looked around. He was in a rundown shack, on a ragged cot. He got up, and was surprised to find that he no aftereffects from that close quarters explosion that bastard Taichou had let off. He stretched, and left the room, to find the others outside. Orihime was standing over the unconscious Jidanbō, with both arms outstretched. A glowing orange dome had enveloped his shoulder, and Ichigo could see his arm slowly reattach to his body. Ichigo walked over to where Uryu and Chad were waiting to one side.

"What'd I miss?" Uryu gave him a sharp look, and he pushed up his glasses before speaking.

"After that debacle at the gate, we had to completely scrap the old plan." Ichigo looked away guiltily, and Uryu relented. "No, it's not your fault. That plan was doomed the moment Gin showed up. Anyway, Orihime already healed you, and now she's healing Jidanbō." As if on cue, Jidanbō stirred, and got up. He twisted his arm about a few times and smiled at Orihime.

"Thank you, Ms, uh, . . ."

"Orihime."

"Yes, thank you Orihime. You gave me back my arm. Without it, I would have never been able to fight again. If only. . ." He looked over sorrowfully at the stubs that remained of his axes. Ichigo noticed the sad look, and had an idea.

"Hey Archer."

"Yeah?"

"How long would a traced blade last here?" Archer thought for a moment, reaching out with his senses.

"Judging from the amount of ambient reishi, I'd say it'd last as long as a real blade would. Why?"

"I'm gonna give Jidanbō something to replace the axes I broke." He turned to the giant. "Hey, Jidanbō!" The giant turned to him.

"What?"

"Catch!" He focused on the blade that he had seen in Berserker's hand, in the memory Archer had shown him. "Trace ON!"

A huge, stone, axe-sword appeared in the air over Jidanbō's hand. It descended slowly, and Jidanbō grabbed it out of the air. He gave it a few test swings, and turned to Ichigo.

"Thank you, Ichigo. What you and your friends have done for me is far above what anyone could have expected you to do. I have been away from my post for too long, and I cannot let anyone through now, but know this. When the time comes, and you need my help, I will be there. I owe you a life-debt, Kurosaki Ichigo." With that, Jidanbō slowly lumbered back to his post, ready to face any danger to the Seireitei once again.

Ichigo turned to the others.

"So, what's the plan? How do we get in there?" The group shrugged helplessly. They hadn't had time to come up with more than one plan to get in. Now, they were stuck. Suddenly, Isshin perked up.

"I know someone who can get us in!" Ichigo turned to his father, surprised.

"Really? Who?" Isshin gave him a grin.

"It's a surprise," he said laughing, " but if you really must know, then I'll give you a clue. You're not the only one who can suddenly reveal new members of the family!"

"Huh? Wait, what?!"

"No more clues, my son!" Ichigo sighed at this. His father's sense of drama had always grated on his nerves. He decided to stop arguing, and just see where his father was leading him. They walked for about two hours, from the town to a pretty empty field.

"So, Dad, where's this surprise of yours?" Ichigo groused. His father had continued his stubborn refusal to explain his actions the entire way.

"You'll know it as soon as you see it. I'm not messing with you, the place looks different every time I've seen it. It's always pretty distinctive, though. Oh there it is!" Isshin suddenly shouted the last part, pointing forward. Ichigo looked to where he was pointing, blinked, rubbed his eyes, and looked again. Nope, it was real. In front of them, a little ways away, was a little house. Two men stood guard at the door. The most obvious part, though, was the two giant arms that reached over the entire house, holding a huge banner that read "Shiba Kukaku". Ichigo turned to his dad.

"Wait, Shiba? Didn't you say your family name was Shiba?"

"Yes, Ichigo, I did. You have three cousins here, and with their help, we should be able to make it into the Seireitei." Ichigo was excited, and he could tell that Shiro was too. Here was a whole new part of the family! They walked up to the doors, but the two guards stop them.

"Hey, who are you? What do you want?" Isshin stepped forward and laid a hand on their arms.

"Koganehiko, Shiroganehiko, at ease. They're with me." The two hulking men looked at him in shock.

"Master . . ." said one.

" . . . Isshin!" finished the other.

"You're BACK!" They gasped in unison. They beckoned the group in, and scrambled down the stairs. Shiro popped out into the real world, and turned to Ichigo.

"Ready to meet our family?"

"Hell yeah!" They headed down the stairs, hearing excited voices echo from deeper inside.

Down in the main room, Kukaku was just waiting for Ganju to return, when Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko ran into the room, tumbling over themselves to deliver their news.

"Master Kukaku! Master Kukaku! He's back!" The one armed mistress of fireworks and explosives raised an eyebrow at this.

"Who's back? Ganju? Why are you so excited over that?"

"No, not Ganju! Master Isshin!" Kukaku furiously jumped up, and grabbed the closest of the two guards by the collar.

"How dare you! My uncle died 20 years ago! How dare you come in here and claim that he is alive!" she roared at them. Suddenly, a hand came down on Kukaku's arm.

"Easy, niece of mine. Let the poor guy go. He's telling you the truth." As Kukaku swung around to confront the new speaker, she froze. There, with that familiar grin plastered across his face, was her beloved uncle Isshin.

"Uncle . . . ?"

"Yep. I'm back! And, I've brought you some cousins." At this, Ichigo and Shiro stuck their heads in and looked around curiously. Kukaku, though she would swear otherwise to her dying day, teared up a little at this and grabbed them all in a bear hug.

"Welcome home!"

After the others came in and introduced themselves, Isshin peered about, as if looking for something, and turned to Kukaku.

"Hey, where's Ganju? How's Kaien doing?" Kukaku turned to him mournfully.

"Ganju's out with his pig riding gang. Kaien..." She looked down sadly, "Kaien's dead. They told us that during a mission, he was taken over by a hollow, and his comrades were forced to kill him." There was a moment of silence for their fallen family member, then Kukaku stood up.

"Come on, you guys. Kaien wouldn't want us to be moping around here, so buck up! Let's go and eat, and you can tell me why you finally decided to come back from wherever you've been this whole time." They went into an adjoining room, and Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko served them dinner, while Isshin caught Kukaku up on why he had left.

"...then Ichigo trounced Jidanbō. As repayment for sparing him, he opened the gate. When the gate was open, a Shinigami appeared, and attacked us. He cut off Jidanbo's arm, then Ichigo charged at him. He lost, of course."

"Who was the Shinigami? Anyone I'd know?"

"Gin."

"Wait, Gin? As in Ichimaru Gin? Captain of the 3rd Company? And he survived?!" Isshin laughed, but Ichigo noticed that he seemed a little guilty.

"Yeah!" he laughed proudly. Ichigo looked at him questioningly, and he shook his head and mouthed 'later'.

"So," concluded Kukaku, "you need my help to get into the Seireitei, so that he can save his friend. Alright then, by tomorrow morning, I'll have your way in. For now though, get some rest." The group bid each other goodnight, and went to their rooms. As Ichigo and Isshin went to their room, Ichigo turned to his father and confronted him.

"Okay, why're you so guilty?"

"Because I'm useless!"

"What the hell? What do you mean?"

"Back at the gate, in that fight with Gin, if we had fought together, we would have beat him. But I didn't help."

"Why didn't you?" Ichigo realised he had been wondering this in the back of his mind for a while now.

"I couldn't! There's something wrong with my powers. I couldn't release my sword, do a kido, or even flash step. I only have enough power to support my shihakusho!" Ichigo was shocked. This whole time, he had been charging in believing he had his father, the captain, at his back. If his father was right, though, then all he had was his father, the well informed civilian, as another person to protect. He turned to his dad, who, having confessed everything, now looked even guiltier.

"Dad, stop being guilty. If there is something wrong with your powers, then joining that fight would have just gotten you killed. I'm fine, aren't I?"

"You didn't see you condition afterwards. That kido he used is more commonly used as a demolition spell, and you took a hit from it point blank. Most of your bones were broken, you were covered in serious burns, and you had some internal injuries. If Orihime hadn't healed you right away, you could have died!" Ichigo had suspected as much, but hearing it out loud was still jarring.

"All the more reason that it was better for you to stay back. If you had gone in as you are, you would have been instantly killed. Anyway, we brought you as a guide, not another fighter. We still need you, probably now more than ever. Now get some sleep, cause you'll need it for tomorrow."

Isshin gave him a grateful look, and went to bed. Ichigo, however, wasn't going to sleep any time soon. He sat down, closed his eyes, and went to his inner world. Opening his eyes, he saw Shiro and Archer waiting for him.

"I need to be stronger. I can't afford to keep losing like this." Shiro and Archer grinned at him, and pulled out their respective blades, Shiro, his Negative Zangetsu, and Archer, Kanshou and Bakuya.

"There's only one thing for that." began Shiro.

"Experience." grinned Archer. Ichigo pulled out Zangetsu and they charged at each other.


	9. Chapter 9 - The Seireitei

Hey guys, here's Chapter 9 - The Seireitei, way ahead of schedule, because Thanksgiving Break, that's why. I won't be posting every day, but do expect at least 4 more chapters over the course of the week.

To **Paxloria:**

From what I can tell, according to canon, Ichigo's inner hollow was passed on to Ichigo only because there was only one. Once he had it, Isshin's seal transferred to Ichigo, and the others were fine. As for his spirits, that will be explained.

To **TheDisturbedDragon:**

Thank you for your comments. Just to clarify, Root is not all-powerful. Seeing as to how she has coalesced into a single being, she's more of a lite version of The Root. She has a pretty extensive knowledge of general magecraft, but she will have to exert herself to try and know more, and reaching for more of her knowledge will exhaust her. She won't be omniscient, unless the situation really really calls for it. Also, the true magics are pretty overpowered in and of themselves, so I'll probably stick to only one or two.

I own nothing. Bleach & Fate/stay belong to Tite Kubo and Type Moon respectively.

* * *

Ichigo spent the rest of the night training for the invasion of the Seireitei. He considered sleeping so that he would be alert tomorrow, but when he brought it up, Archer corrected him.

"Spirits only sleep to recharge their reiatsu. As long as you are in the Soul Society, you are a spirit. With your huge reserves, you'll only need sleep if you get badly injured. You'll probably be fine going without sleep for the next month." Ichigo nodded, and they kept going. Sometime during the night, Shiro came to a decision.

"Ichigo. If you are going into the lion's den, then you'll need some of my abilities. Your Hollow powers." Ichigo perked up at that.

"How do I use them?"

"First, you'll need to know how to call on them. You need to summon your hollow mask."

"Alright, how do I do that?"

"All I can do is demonstrate. You can't summon your mask in here, and without the mask, you can't use your hollow abilities." With that, Shiro reached up his face. He clenched his hand as though grabbing something, and as black energy flowed off his hand, a mask formed as he _pulled_ down. A mask formed on his face, but it was blurry. Ichigo blinked and squinted, but he couldn't make out how it looked.

"Why can't I see it?"

"This mask is a copy of yours, but you can only see it once you have earned your mask. Now for the true demonstration. Fight me." Ichigo raised an eyebrow at this, but he complied. He pulled out Zangetsu, and they charged at each other. Ichigo immediately noticed a difference. Shiro was far faster, and much stronger than normal. Ichigo quickly found himself being overwhelmed. Finally, Shiro knocked away his sword, and held Negative Zangetsu to Ichigo's throat.

"Whoa," managed Ichigo, amazed.

"Yeah. The default abilities of your mask are that it will boost your speed, strength, and power. Over time, as you find a balance between your hollow powers and your consciousness, you will be able to access more of its abilities. I'm warning you now, though. The more you accept your powers into yourself, the more powerful you'll become, but you'll have a harder time controlling your hollow side. If you overreach, then both you and I will be overwhelmed, and all that will be left is a raging monster." Ichigo nodded once seriously, and suddenly, Archer appeared.

"Ichigo. The others are waking up. It's time to go." Ichigo gave them both a wave, and left. Archer turned to Shiro.

"Do you think he can make it?" Shiro grinned.

"He's Ichigo. Of course he can."

As the group woke up, one by one they went outside, to the huge smokestack next to the house. Kukaku and Ganju were waiting for them. Ichigo was the first to speak.

"So, how're you going to get us into the Seireitei?" She grinned and patted the smokestack.

"With this. The Shiba family cannon, Kakaku Hō (Flower Crane Cannon)." Uryu suddenly saw his life flash before his eyes.

"A cannon?! We'll be killed!" Isshin cut off Uryu's panicked rant.

"Kukaku. I know you're a fireworks genius, but while that cannon could get us over the walls, aren't you forgetting the dome?" Ichigo looked at him in askance at that.

"What dome? I don't see one." Yoruichi was the one to answer.

"The Sekki-Sekki walls let off waves that form an invisible sphere around the Seireitei. These waves have the same properties as the walls themselves." Kukaku didn't argue the point. Instead, she tossed Ichigo a huge stone ball.

"Did you guys think I'd just fire you in unprotected? No, you'll be using this." Ichigo turned it over in his hands.

"What is it?" Ganju grabbed it, and held it in both hands. He closed his eyes, and focused all of his reiatsu into it. A huge white sphere formed around him.

"It's one of my amazing inventions! I call it the Reishūkaku (Spirit-Gathering Core). With this, you'll be able to break through the shield around the Seireitei. What you need to do, is focus your Reiatsu into it at a controlled pace, and a shield orb will form around you." Ganju gave it back to Ichigo, who became confused.

"Why're you giving it to me?"

"Normally I'd make you all push your reiatsu into it, but doing it that way is risky, because it's difficult to synchronise your outputs. You, though, have enough Reiatsu to fuel the core all by yourself. Go ahead, try it." Ichigo nodded once, and closed his eyes. Just before he started, though, Archer spoke up.

"Wait Ichigo. If you just push your powers into it, it'll explode. Use the circuits I gave you."

Ichigo focused his power through the pathways built into his nerves. In his mind, white lines spread throughout him, pulling his power from his core, and focusing it in the Spirit Gathering core. To the observers, it seemed as though a swirling black sphere had suddenly swallowed him up. He released the power, and the sphere collapsed. He looked up.

"How was that?" He jerked forward as Kukaku slapped him on the back.

"That was amazing! Especially for a first try! I thought I'd have to give you some time to figure it out, but if you already have it down, you guys can go now itself!" With that, she pulled a lever, and the cannon slowly tipped over, until it was pointed at the Seireitei. A hatch opened in the side, and a ladder unfurled. Kukaku turned to the party, and gestured them forward.

"Alright you guys, climb aboard. Ichigo, once everyone is in, I'll close the hatch. That's when you activate the core." As the teens climbed in, Kukaku grasped Isshin's arm.

"I just got half my family back. I don't want to lose you guys again. Bring them back safe, Uncle."

Isshin grinned, and ruffled her hair.

"Don't worry, Kukaku. We'll come back to you." He gave her one last wave, and climbed in with the others. Kukaku closed the hatch, and prepared the firing lever. She waited, to give Ichigo time to activate the core, then pulled the lever. The cannon fired with a roar, and the black sphere containing the group flew off towards the Seireitei.

"Good luck, you guys." Kukaku said quietly. Ganju looked over to her and grinned.

"Don't worry about it. They'll be fine." Kukaku looked at him.

"We can only hope."

As the sphere neared its target, the teens were feeling tense. Orihime and Uryu were tightly holding each other's hands, Yoruichi had her claws out as she held onto Chad, and even Isshin looked rather apprehensive. Ichigo, on the other hand, was too focused on the sphere, and their surroundings, to feel afraid. Extending his senses outwards, he could sense the approaching dome.

"Brace for impact you guys!"

Down in the Seireitei, Akon was just returning to the R&D Institute, when he heard the whistling of an incoming object. He looked up, and saw a huge black cannon ball strike the dome. It paused for a moment, then exploded, shattering the dome and sending its passengers off in every direction. Shocked, he ran to the R&D institute. Captain Kurotsuchi needed to be told.

As soon as the sphere exploded, Ichigo's first instinct was to grab onto the others. He reached out, and grabbed the closest person, then he was out of time, as everyone was blasted to different parts of the Seireitei. As the ground approached, he curled up and braced himself. He hit the ground hard, but managed to get up, though he was dazed. He gave himself a quick once over. No broken bones, though he'd probably have some impressive bruises. Suddenly, he remembered that he hadn't been alone. He looked around, and saw that Chad was dusting himself off nearby. Of course, he was fine. Chad was built like a tank! He turned to Ichigo.

"What do we do now?" Ichigo thought for a minute. This could actually work in their favor.

"We go for Rukia. The others will do the same. With all of us split up like this, it only increases our chances that someone will reach her and free her. We can only hope that the others are fine." Chad nodded. Ichigo had a good point. Suddenly, Ichigo froze. Where was Rukia? He was about to go find someone to ask, when they suddenly came across a whole horde of Shinigami. Obviously, everyone had noticed their flashy entrance, and the Shinigami had been sent out in force to find the intruders. The two friends looked at each other. They could take these guys, but it would take time they didn't have. Rukia would be executed in ten days. They looked at each other, and nodded in unison.

"Run."

On the South side of the Seireitei, Uryu and Orihime floated gently to the ground, riding Orihime's Santen Kesshun. They touched down, and Uryu jumped off, then turned and helped Orihime off. The shield disappeared, and her Shun Shun Rikka returned to her hairclips. They looked around warily, but didn't see anyone.

"Uryu, what do we do?" asked Orihime apprehensively. They had been split up, and now she had no idea where the others were. Uryu turned to her, and grabbed her hand. He gave her a comforting smile.

"Don't worry. Knowing them, they'll be trying to save Rukia regardless of their current circumstances. If we manage to find Rukia, we'll find the others too!" As Uryu led the way, Orihime asked him a question in a quiet voice.

"Uryu, why did you come on this mission? I thought you hated Shinigami. Why do you want to save Rukia?" Uryu pushed up his glasses, and the glint of the light off them made her unable to see his eyes.

"I didn't come here for Rukia. I honestly don't care what happens to Rukia, and I'd rather you and I were safe at home. I came, because Ichigo asked me to come. Never tell him I said this, but he is my closest friend, and I owe him, because if he hadn't reached out to me, you and I would never have met." Orihime smiled at her boyfriend, and stood closer to him as they kept moving to avoid the Shinigami search parties.

"How exactly," Uryu muttered to himself, "are we supposed to find out where Rukia is, and get there, without being caught?" Orihime smiled.

"That's easy. If we take someone's uniforms, then we can just go and ask someone." Uryu was dumbfounded. Looking at her airheaded exterior, it was easy to forget just how formidable Orihime was. A martial artist near the level of Tatsuki, and one of the smartest people at school, one would underestimate her at their own peril. Considering her idea, Uryu realized that he had never even thought of it, yet it was the perfect solution. He turned to Orihime, and grinned.

"That's perfect! Let's do it." With that, they hunkered down, and waited for the next Shinigamis to

walk by.

As Isshin and Yoruichi came down, Yoruichi realised that Isshin would not survive the fall in his weakened state. Thinking fast, the cat maneuvered itself under Isshin, and amassed Reishi under its feet, slowing their fall. They stopped about a foot off the ground, then the cat dumped Isshin off to one side, then landed. Isshin got up, and picked up the now exhausted cat. He smiled at it.

"Thanks for the save, old friend." He looked around. Without his powers, he would be useless in a fight. He needed help, and there was only one place he could go. The 10th squad, the squad he was once Captain of. With luck, he would find someone willing to help their old captain. With a goal in mind, he took off towards where he remembered the 10th squad barracks. He gradually made his way over, dodging into alleys to avoid search parties, until, finally, he found himself outside the gates of the barracks. He looked around, and went in. The barracks were mostly empty and he went down to the Captain's office, where he found a young looking, white haired Shinigami in a captain's Haori, looking rather annoyed, surrounded in paperwork. He looked up at the person who had entered his office, and his jaw dropped as the intruder spoke.

"Hello Toshiro, or should I say, Captain Hitsugaya."

"C-Captain Shiba?!"

Unknown to any of the three duos, a mysterious figure was watching over them, for to him, they were mere pawns to be manipulated however he wished. Everything was going according to his plan, and the time for his rule was fast approaching. Sosuke Aizen sat back in his chair, and laughed.


	10. Chapter 10 - Vs Baldy & Lady Man

Alright guys and gals, here's Chapter 10 - **Vs. Baldy and Lady Man**. I just wanted to thank all my readers. As a new writer, the response has been amazing. I've only been doing this for three weeks, and I already have 30 reviews, 61 favorites, and 88 followers! You guys are the best. Plus, shout out to **ShiroHollow96** , for some fascinating ideas for my next fanfic. I won't start for a while, but the suggestions sounded great! Without further ado, happy reading!

I own nothing. Bleach & Fate/stay belong to Tite Kubo and Type Moon respectively.

* * *

As Ichigo and Chad ran down a side street, they ducked down in a corner. Waiting till the footsteps of the running Shinigami had passed, they peeked out. Seeing that the coast was clear, they stepped out of the corner, and ran down the street in the opposite direction of where the patrol had gone. Turning another corner, they suddenly found themselves confronted by two formidable men. One was a sly looking man, with a shiny bald head. He wielded his sword in one hand, and his sheathe in the other as though it were a dual bladed Zanpakuto. The other man looked rather effeminate, with heavily done up hair, and some make up. He wielded a normal looking sword, but the two teens could tell he was more dangerous than he seemed. Looking at the two of them, he could tell that he was in the presence of two men a cut above most of the Shinigami he had seen so far. He shifted his stance, ready to trace a sword and attack at a moment's notice. Beside him, he could feel Chad do the same.

"Well then. I guess you two are some of the ryoka that have had the whole of Soul Society in an uproar. Well, be glad that I am the one who will fight you. I'll give you a chance to prepare yourself while I do my battle dance. The Tsukki-Tsukki dance!" The effeminate man next to him simply sighed and shook his head, while his friend began a ridiculous battle dance.

"Ikkaku, you idiot, that is so not beautiful." The bald man, Ikkaku, spun around angrily.

"Shut up Yumichika," he roared, "this dance is a sign of respect between warriors! Why-" Ichigo decided to cut the ranting man off.

"Hey, who are you guys?" The arguing shinigami paused, and turned back to the two teens they had just confronted. The bald one stepped forward.

"Ikkaku Madarame, 3rd seat of the 11th Company. He," he jerked a thumb at the other man, "is Yumichika Ayasegawa, 5th seat of the same company." Ichigo nodded. They sounded strong. Suddenly, he was glad that he had Chad with him to back him up. He muttered out of the side of his mouth to Chad.

"I've got baldy, you've got the lady man." Chad nodded, and they jumped forward. Ichigo swung down at Ikkaku, who blocked by crossing his scabbard and sword. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chad call forth his armour and throw a punch at Yumichika who, though he blocked, was thrown backwards through a wall. Ichigo raised an eyebrow at the power at display, as Chad shot after the thrown Shinigami. Yoruichi must have really pushed him to get him this strong in only a few days. He turned to Ikkaku, who also seemed surprised at Chad's power. He laughed at the dumbfounded look on Ikkaku's face, then pushed against his block, throwing him back a few steps, giving them a chance to size each other up for real. Ikkaku quickly reassessed the teen, with what had happened in that last bout as reference

 _Alright, the kid is strong, fast, and powerful, but he hasn't got much in the way of technique. If I had to guess, he's been in fights before, which gave him good reflexes, but he received some hurried teaching before he came._ He decided to shout out a question.

"Hey, kid! Who taught you to fight?" Ichigo considered ignoring the question, then shrugged. What's the worst that could happen?

"They only taught me for a few days, but their names were Yoruichi and Kisuke Urahara." Ikkaku's eyes widened, but beyond that he didn't betray his inner turmoil. This child had received training from those two?! He was far more formidable than he had originally thought! He grinned. It was about time that he got someone worth fighting.

"Well then kid, considering who taught you, then it's only polite if I fight you seriously!" With that, they charged at each other, and Ikkaku was the first to attack this time. He dealt him a vicious overhead slash. Ichigo blocked it only to realise that he had blocked the man's scabbard. He quickly twisted to avoid the thrust from Ikkaku's real sword. He stepped back, then slashed forward. Again, Ikkaku raised that same cross block, but instead of blocking he deflected the blow. Ichigo staggered at the lack of resistance, but Ikkaku did not escape unscathed. The tip of Ichigo's sword had opened a shallow wound in his brow. As Ichigo stumbled, Ikkaku stabbed at his head, only for Ichigo to twist out of the way again, turning a potentially fatal wound into a cut that was the match for Ikkaku's. They disengaged, quickly judging their next moves. Ichigo used one hand to wipe the blood out of his eyes, only for more to drip down. He cursed quietly, then looked over at Ikkaku, hoping the bald shinigami was having similar problems. To his irritation, Ikkaku merely popped off the end of his sword, and scooped out a salve. Wiping the salve over the cut, Ichigo was annoyed to see the bleeding stop.

"Oh, come on! That's cheating!" Ichigo shouted at his opponent. Ikkaku looked up, angry.

"What the hell man? There's no cheating in being prepared! You're just an idiot for not thinking ahead!"

"No, you're an idiot!" Ichigo irrationally shouted, his annoyance made worse by the laugh he could hear from Shiro at their childish argument. Finally, Ikkaku came to a decision. He held out his sword, reversed his grip, and slammed his scabbard into the hilt.

"Extend, Hozukimaru!" There was a flash of light, and once it faded, Ichigo saw that the sword had extended into a Naginata. Ikkaku charged at him without giving him a moment to prepare himself, forcing him on the defensive. Quickly stabbing repeatedly, Ichigo quickly dodged and deflected each thrust, until he finally knocked away Ichigo's blade. As Ichigo stood there, seemingly defenseless, Ikkaku charged in again. At the last second, Ichigo sidestepped, traced another sword, and was about to strike down on him, when Ikkaku spun his spear out in a slash. Ichigo blocked, or so he thought.

"Split, Hozukimaru!" Ikkaku shouted, and the spear split into 3 sections, connected by short chains. A Sansetsukon. The 3rd section was deflected around his blade, and cut deep into his arm. Ichigo leaped back, and winced as the shock of the wound wore off. He looked at Ikkaku, who had returned his sansetsukon to its naginata form. Ichigo closed his eyes, and came to a decision.

"Cut through the heavens and cleave the moon! Reach forever onwards and seize the sun! Rise, ZANGETSU!" The reiatsu pulse knocked back Ikkaku, wiping the smug smirk off his face. As he got up, he noticed with consternation the changes in Ichigo's zanpakuto. While it may have seemed like simply a bigger sword, anyone with an ounce of spirit sense would have been able to feel the power flowing off it. Watching Ichigo wind the hilt wrap around the wound in his arm, then hold up the sword in readiness, Ikkaku felt like he had bit off more than he could chew. Suddenly, a black blur shot at him. He held out his spear in a standard quarterstaff block. Suddenly, he realized Ichigo was already behind him.

 _So fast! It must be a result of being trained by Yoruichi Shihoin, the flash master!_ He looked down at Hozukimaru, and realised to his shock that it had been shattered. Then, as he began to black out from the massive wound in his chest, his final thought was,

 _Not bad, kid. If you survive this adventure of yours, you'll go far._ Ichigo began to go off to find Chad, then stopped.

"Oh no you don't." growled Shiro, annoyed, "This guy was just now trying to kill you! You really want to go back and save him?! What about Chad?" Ichigo glared.

"You really think he can't handle 'lady man'?" Shiro snorted at the nickname, but acquiesced.. Ichigo went back to Ikkaku, who's zanpakuto had returned to its sealed state once he had become unconscious. Though it was still shattered, the hilt was still intact, and that was what Ichigo was after. He opened the end of the blade, and scooped out some salve. He looked down at the slash in the man's chest. This would take a while.

* * *

When Ichigo had given the signal, Chad had immediately struck, knowing that having the first strike would give him a definitive advantage. He roared as he punched Yumichika, sending him through a wall. Looking sidelong at Ichigo for a moment, he saw the look of confidence on his face. He'd be fine. He leaped through the hole in a wall, into another alley, to find Yumichika already dusting himself off amongst the rubble of the wall. He raised an eyebrow at how unruffled the feminine man was at having been punched so hard. He readied his stance, in case the man suddenly attacked. Yumichika simply cocked his head at the wary teen.

"Such power in a single punch. It would have been beautiful, if only you hadn't used such an underhanded method to land it. That makes it so ugly, I weep." Chad facefaulted. Of course he got the talkative one. If he had known that the guy he had taken would be the chatty type, then he would have switched opponents with Ichigo faster than he could blink. Talkative people distracted him. He cocked his fist, ready to throw another punch, when, suddenly, the man was in front of him, his sword drawn and attacking.

 _This must be flash step. I remember Ichigo practicing this._

He quickly swung his arm around to block, and the sword glanced off his white armour. Chad used his unarmoured hand to grab Yumichika's sword arm, and used his power arm to punch Yumichika in the gut. He flew through the air and smashed into another wall. He stayed standing for a moment, then he coughed up blood and fell over, his eyes wide. He had underestimated the tall teen, and had payed the price. He hit the ground, unconscious. Chad dusted his hands, and went to find Ichigo. He followed the path of destruction back to Ichigo, who had just finished tending to Ikkaku's wound. Ichigo looked up as he heard Chad speak.

"Benefits of being a doctor's son, huh?" Ichigo looked down at Ikkaku, and looked up again.

"Yeah I guess."

"You fool." Both teens jumped as Ikkaku suddenly spoke, having just regained consciousness.

"Why would you save me? I am your enemy! I just attacked you!" he shouted angrily. Inside his head, Shiro added his own two cents.

"That's exactly my point! You just wasted an hour on this idiot."

"Shut up." Ichigo turned to Ikkaku.

"Why shouldn't I save you? You were defending your turf. Plus, I need information. Where do I find Kuchiki Rukia?" Ikkaku's eyes widened at this, and he seemed to wrestle with himself for a moment, before giving in.

"Fine. She's in the Senzaikyū. She has less than a fortnight. At the end of those 14 days, she'll be taken to Sokyoku Hill, and be executed." Ichigo couldn't help but grin. That was a lot of time! With that kind of time, they could be carefull about how they get to her. Ikkaku noticed the smile, and shook his head.

"Don't get cocky. There are still all the other Shinigami between you and her. You may be strong, but if you meet a captain , or even a lieutenant, you're done for. Their strength is so far beyond you it's not even funny." He coughed, and the sudden motion seemed to have made his wound worse, given that he was unconscious again. Ichigo and Chad got up from where the had been kneeling, and looked towards the middle of the Seireitei. There, in the center, was the Senzaikyū. They looked at each other, nodded, and dashed forward, intent on their target.

* * *

Some of you may be wondering why I gave Chad such an easy win with Yumichika. The answer is, honestly, Yumichika always seemed rather weak to me. He had an irrational obsession with not using his own abilities. Plus, Chad can demolish buildings with just the pressure of his punches, even at the beginning of the series. In canon, Ganju beat Yumichika with just fireworks. I mean seriously?! That's, if anything, embarrassing! He's only ever beat ONE noteworthy enemy, Charlotte Chulhorn, and that was only after he got over himself, and used his full Shikai. Anyway, thanks for reading you guys, please review, and keep an eye out for Chapter 11, coming at you soon!


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